Ford’s first crossover, desperately seeking attention

Most of the news coming out of Ford Motor Company’s Dearborn, Mich., headquarters focuses on the troubles the blue oval is having this year. Ford lost $1.4 billion in the first half of 2006, and a whopping $5.80 billion for the third quarter 2006 alone.

In September, Alan Mulally, a former Boeing executive, replaced Henry Ford’s grandson William Clay Ford Jr. as the company’s CEO. Earlier announcements included U.S. workforce reductions by as many as 30,000 and plans to shut 16 plants. Ten years ago, one in four new vehicles sold in the U.S. carried the blue-oval marque. Today it’s around 15 percent.

In response, Ford is scrambling to bring new vehicles to the market, including the 2007 Edge, a new crossover utility vehicle that bears an unreasonable amount of expectations from its parent company.

Beyond the triple-bladed razor grille, the same that adorns last year’s new Ford Fusion, the Edge seems an amalgamation of a dozen or so products already on the market.

Edge looks good, with clean, athletic lines, rakish windshield, swept forward rear roof complete with rear spoiler and clear-lens taillamps and rounded wheel arch openings. It’s a nice enough looking vehicle, but the styling doesn’t turn heads either. During my weeklong test drive I went completely unnoticed and wasn’t asked once what it was I was driving, despite the telltale manufacturer’s license plate and having perhaps the only Edge in Arizona. That’s a long way from what I experienced when the Mustang was introduced a few years ago, and not good news if the Edge is expected bring traffic to dealer showrooms and begin to solve Ford’s problems.

Edge is offered in two models: the front-wheel drive base SE ($25,995) and the SEL ($27,990). All-wheel drive is available on either model for an additional $1,650. All Edge versions are equipped with an all-new 3.5-liter V-6 that delivers 265 horsepower and is mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. Highway fuel economy is expected to average in the low to mid 20s and the Edge can tow up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped.

Inside, Edge provides two-row seating for five; a third-row seating option is not available. The front seat is comfortable, but I wished for just a bit more legroom. Two adults will fit comfortably in the back seat, three for short distances only. Rear seats recline (but don’t slide fore and aft) and are split 60/40. Grab handles in the back ease entry, but not for front seats. Rear seats have a power-fold option and the front passenger seat folds so the Edge can carry longer objects like a ladder or eight-foot long lumber.

The large center console is designed to hold objects as large as a laptop and features a concealed power point and MP3-audio input jack. Small slots molded into the side of the console keep phone and MP3 cords neat and organized. The console lid has a ticket clip, two penholders and a tissue holder.

While we liked the overall shape of the dash and the functionality and ease of audio, climate and our optional navigation controls, Ford cheapened the look with every dash surface and door panel constructed of economy-looking hard plastic. Another huge problem for me was the annoying reflections from the dash on the angular windshield. I’ve experienced this same problem in other similarly designed vehicles.

On the road, the new Edge is quiet, handles well and is tossable in turns. Performance from the 265 horsepower left me feeling the Edge was lighter on its feet than the two-ton plus curb weight would indicate. I gauged an unofficial zero to 60 mph time in the seven- to eight-second area.

Standard safety equipment includes Ford’s Advanced Trac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) that automatically kicks in if the system detects you’re cornering too fast and the vehicle is in danger of tipping over. Seat-mounted side air bags, Safety Canopy air curtain system, and Ford’s personal safety system come standard on all Edge models. Edge has not been tested for crash test durability.

I tested a well-equipped SEL with all-wheel drive. Options included the huge dual panoramic roof with a fixed rear glass panel and a one-touch-open switch that offers tilt and slide opening. Other options on my tester included 18-inch tires, DVD-based navigation system, reverse sensing system, Sirius satellite radio, leather trimmed seats and Audiophile CDX6.

Edge is being built at Ford’s Oakville, Ontario, Canada, assembly alongside the new Lincoln MKX, the Lincoln version of the Ford Edge. Ford says that even before the Edge started rolling off the assembly line, the company had received 20,000 dealer orders for the new crossover utility vehicle. Ford says that more than 1 million people have checked out the Edge’s Web site, and 320,000 visitors have configured an Edge for themselves.

Overall, we think Ford loyalists will be more than pleased with the Edge. Of less certainty is if it will attract new shoppers to dealer showrooms or just steal sales from the fading Explorer, Expedition and now-defunct Taurus?

Edge faces formidable competition in this segment with the likes of the popular Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot. To succeed, it will need to pull buyers away from those brands. It remains to be seen if the lure of the new Edge can sustain the kind of staying power Ford so desperately needs to help ease some of its financial woes. We certainly hope so.